Witch's Tree
by comic-book-freak-22
Summary: Even the Guardians have beings they do not believe exist wether out of the absurdity of the tales around them or refusal to believe in beings that powerful. But they do recognize that not all spirits are created by Manny and sometimes it is a more powerful force that created them. Now Pitch has discovered that source but with it is a legend they all thought was just that, a legend.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, I know I should be writing my other stories but I had to write this as it was gonna burst from my brain soon. I wanted to let you all know before hand, I am writing a nonfanfiction version of this as well, so in the unlikely event that I can actually finish that and get it published I will take this version down. But I doubt that will happen because I struggle with finishing nonfanfiction stories. Now that that is out of the way, I hope you enjoy this story and please feel free to tell me what you think.**

 **I don't own RotG**

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There are legends about this forest. No one quite knew when the legend started, but they do know it's more than empty words. It is warning that haunts this town to this day, one that wards off those who would do harm to others lest they suffer a terrible fate. A fate brought upon them by a most vengeful thing, but then again, how could you blame her for that? The legend that haunts the town and terrifies the residents to their core when they hear it, the one that holds more then just a warning but the truth of what the towns history is built on.

"It is said that in the times of the colonies the fear of witchcraft ran wild through out the world. In the town lived a man named Acresti Protho, he lived peacefully with his wife and four children. Unfortunately, he had a lustful hunger for younger flesh, and his sights landed a poor girl, whose name was never known. Acresti tried to take the girl as his lover, but she refused the married man. Outraged and insulted he accused her of being a witch and casting a love curse upon him.

As were normal for the times, the girl was arrested and tortured until she confessed. But she never did, through all the torture she remained in a stoic silence, she never faltered in her innocence. That would later be revealed to be her downfall though, as it is said that not only did her innocence never weaken but neither did her body. The strength she held throughout the investigation was enough for the courts to believe she was in line with the Devil. When she was in court and was asked why she put a curse on Acresti she laughed, the laugh of a child at play. And it horrified the court to its bones. She was found guilty of Witchcraft and, when she refused to persecute anyone else, sentenced to hang.

When the day arrived and she was taken to the forest where the Witch's tree was she was not crying, nor was she begging for her laugh or claiming her innocence. She was quiet, until they put the noose around her neck. Then, suddenly, the whole town watched in horror as a smile grew across her face and the same child-like laughter from the courtroom bubbled up out of her throat. The sound echoed as the stool was kicked out from under her and she writhed as the rope slowly strangled her. Her body then hung lifelessly from the tree, a smile still on her face.

The memory of the witch haunted the town for weeks after her execution that is everyone but Acresti. Mere weeks after the odd execution he was out again, his sights falling on another young girl of the name Annabell. This time though he was determined to get what he wanted. So, he tricked his new target into following him deep into the woods, far too deep for the poor girl to find her way out, and there he attacked. The girl tried to run back to town, but she found herself lost amongst the towering trees. Acresti was close to catching her and she fell to her knees crying in fear and waiting for the later she felt a light touch upon her shoulder, nervously she looked up and beheld in horror the face of the accused witch whose death was not even a month ago. The girl raised her hand to her mouth in a silencing manner, and though Annabell felt she should scream the calming look in the dead girls eyes made her stay as she was. A gentle smile spread across the witch's face and she opened her mouth when suddenly the sound of panting hit the two girls ears. The accused's face suddenly changed to that of anger as she stood and walked determinedly past Annabell, who watched as she disappeared into the forest towards the source of the noise. Suddenly the child-like laughter that haunted the town echoed throughout the forest, chilling Annabell's skin to the bone. Suddenly, the laughter was drowned out by the gut-wrenching scream of Acresti Protho. Then, just as suddenly, the forest fell silent again. The witch walked back into the clearing where Annabell was shaking in fear, she smiled and knelt in front girl before gently placing her hand on her forehead and Annabell found herself sitting back in her room.

No one was quite sure what had happened to Acresti that night, even Annabell, but when they later searched the woods they found his clothes, shredded and with a tree standing proudly in the center of the fabric remains. Some say that when they stood around the tree they could hear echoes of his pained scream flowing with the breeze through the leaves.

From that day on, any who entered the forest or surrounding town who angered the spirit of the accused witch disappeared in the middle of the night with laughter and a scream. And all that would ever be found of them was torn clothes around a tree. The only thing left of the memory of the accused witch is her noose, still hanging on the Witch's tree. A horrid reminder of the monster they accused her of, and the guardian she became."

Over the years, those who enter the forest say that they can hear the echoed screams of terror and pain of those who the Witch has punished. And every year they find more and more shredded remains of clothing with no explanation beyond a tree and echoes of faint laughter. The echoed screams are heard on the nights when the Witch strikes and then all falls silent, a dark reminder to the people of what lurks in their forest. Although the forest has a deadly side to it it is also said that more laughter has filled the forest, but different than that that is heard before the screams. It is said to be the carefree laughter of the children whose distraught souls have been lifted by the Witch, and now they spend eternity playing and laughing in the forest safe from the pain they felt when they roamed the mortal plane. Now they play with their savior and laugh with child-like freedom, the cares of the world far beyond the forest's edge.

Beware those, though, that hear the laughter of the accused Witch.

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 **Now, I know that this chapter was a little short but I figured it would be good to give you a little backstory before I dive into the main story. Also I am working on a cover for this story so it will not stay as is now, it will change as soon as I am done drawing it. I hope you liked it and until next time.**

 **The Freak is out of here :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter and let me get one more thing out of the way, this is going to be a dark story. It is not quite horror but it has its moments. I mean the main character is a girl that was hung because she was accused of being a witch for not sleeping with a married man who can turn people into trees. So yea, it's kind of darker than the other stuff I usually write, and it definitely enters into the realm of horror a few times because of the plot and characters. Which will be fun for me because again I don't usually write dark stories, at least not for fan fiction, so this will be interesting for everyone involved. But anyways I hope you like this chapter and it is one of the lighter ones because it doesn't really get into the forest yet. Enjoy!**

 **I don't own RotG**

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It had been over a year since the battle with Pitch took place, and Jack found that he fell into the role of Guardian far easier than he imagined he would. He still brought joy to children and kept his fun loving manner, it's just now the children were able to see him. The news that he was real spread quickly amongst first Jamie's home town and then it started spreading all over the world until most of the worlds children believed he was real, and it made Jack so happy and relieved to have found his place in the world. Since the uprise of Pitch the Guardians had had little reason to defend the children again, minor threats like the spirit of halloween scaring them or the prankster spirit messing with all the toys before Christmas. Nothing that serious and Jack found himself with a lot of down time most of which he spent playing with Jamie and his friends. He knew he shouldn't, because one day they will grow up and forget him, but he had grown rather attached to the kids.

This day found him in that situation as the children laughed and ran around him as snowballs flew through the air. The children parents looked on with fondness, not even noticing that snowballs were coming from an area where no one stood. Jack laughed as Jamie was hit with a rather large snowball thrown by Cupcake and fell to the ground, Jamie glared at him and quickly picked up a handful of snow before throwing it at Jack and landing a shot square in the face. Jack fell back with the force of the hit and laughed as he looked to Jamie, "You're gonna pay for that!" he shouted and Jamie's eyes widened before he turned and dashed off into the trees with Jack hot on his tail and the other children following after.

Soon enough though Jack caught up with Jamie and summoned a huge pile of snow right above his head. The area erupted in laughter as the other children watched their friend struggle to unbury himself from the snow pile. When he did finally manage to pick himself up he turned to the spirit that was on the ground clutching his sides in laughter before shaking his head and kicking the teen who just laughed harder. Soon enough though the heard the call of their parents and started walking backwash Jack trailing a little distance away with a broad smile on his face. He looked up towards the sky where the moon could barely be seen when he saw the colors streaking across the sky. His head shot in the direction of the pole and saw more spreading to every reach of the sky. He turned to look back at Jamie who stood infant of him looking at the sky as well.

"Looks like playtime is over." the boy laughed and a smirk broke across Jack's serious expression.

"For now kiddo." He said before turning and flying off towards the workshop. The wind whipped past him as he sped onwards, ignoring the winds complaints at the speed he was going. Soon enough he saw the huge structure built into the ice and dove down in through the window North always kept open for him. He landed on the balcony overlooking the globe and was about to speak when he saw who was standing by the controls and his voice seemed to be stolen from his throat.

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North worked happily at his decked while the tunes played Christmas songs in dramatic instrumental. He sat chiseling away at his latest creation with an intense concentration. He held up the object to inspect it closer when his eyes caught sight of something outside his window. The colors streaking through the sky could only mean one thing, the lights had been turned on. But he didn't turn them on, so who did. He carefully set the new creation on the table and walked to the door, pulling his swords out and walking out to the balcony where the controls were.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he beheld who was standing there with their proud stance. The tall man wore a splendid solve suit that seemed to glow like a star, his hair was a brilliant silver and slicked back giving him a very majestic look. North barely even noticed Jack land haphazardly before stopping and staring at the man, who merely turned and observed the two as slowly the other Guardians arrived and gave the same amazed and confused stare until finally they were all standing there.

That is when the man decided to speak, "Hello Guardians, I take it by your expressions you know who I am?"

"Man in Moon." North said with wonder in his voice as the others were finally able to wipe their amazed looks off their faces and give a bow to the man, Jack follow after not knowing that he was supposed to do that.

The Man in Moon simply laughed, "That curtesy is hardly necessary, I just came down to congratulate you all on your work with defeating Pitch." He said and straightened his tie, "I do apologize for my late arrival, but I have been quite busy with duties that simply could not be ignored." The Guardians all shared a look before thanking him, "Now, I have other things to discuss with you, and they are rather serious." He said turning to North, "Is there not a more comfortable place for us to speak?"

"Oh, right, of course." North said as he led the group off to one of the side rooms where a large table sat with multiple magnificently carved chairs sat. The Guardians all sat in various spots but Manny took the head of the table and kept his rather rigid posture.

"Why are you here?" Tooth asked nervously, knowing that if Manny came down himself in person then it had to be serious.

Manny looked down momentarily, "I came to discuss how Pitch managed to grow as powerful as he did without our knowing." He stated simply and looked back to the group. The Guardians all shared a nervous look before looking back to Manny with shrugs. The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What other powers would he know about?"

"Other powers?" Jack asked and the others turned to him with sympathetic looks.

"Of course, you wouldn't have known about them." Tooth said softly, "Manny is not the only source of power, there are other magics in the world that grant immense power, Manny is not the most powerful of them. There are legends of a source of power so great it can give life to anything and also trap life in its web. There are hundreds of powers, of hundreds of magnitudes, no one knows for sure just which ones are real and which are just tales spun by mortals." She said carefully shooting a sideways glance at Manny and watching as his eye twitched slightly. She quickly cleared her throat and looked to the others as she spoke, "Pitch wouldn't know of these, would he?"

"North looked thoughtfully at the table, "He might, we all know the legends of the powers, and he was able to find one of the lessors of them he could gain the power he had without us noticing. But which one did he find?"

"It could have been the Lake of the Lady." Bunny said, "Or the Forrest of Life, or any number of them. We don't even know if it was a lessor power he used." He said and looked to North with a concerned look. Jack watched as they all brainstormed what the source could be, still rather confused that Manny was not even the most powerful one, his entire existence as Jack Frost he believed Manny was the say all end all of the world, but now he finds that he really isn't. So, what is?

"What about the Witch's tree?" Tooth asked.

Manny laughed, "The Witch's tree is just a fable," He said as he stood, "Some legends are just that, legends. No he had to have used something he could get access to." Manny stopped, "Like the shards of Tu Yang." He said, "Pitch's power signature matched them perfectly, but they were hidden in an ancient tomb thousands of years ago, they were impossible to find with the stories that shrouded their truth. So how did he find them?"

"And if he found them, who's to say what else he found?" Jack asked, and the others looked at him with a fearful look.

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 **And there is that. I hope you enjoyed it, and I also hope you will tell me what you think of it. Also, if you read my other stories maybe you'll notice the little easter egg I threw in there. I hope that this streak of updating continues but bear with me the further we get into this story as I am still working out the full plot to it, I have the basics but I need the small details still. Well, that is it for now so until next time.**

 **The Freak is out of here! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, I am back with more of the story, and this chapter is darker than the last because it takes place in the forrest. And let me tell you, this legend does not even slightly exist, the town it is in does, but the story doesn't. I hope you enjoy and will tell me what you think.**

 **I don't own RotG**

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Manny looked at Jack with concern, "You are right." He said as if shocked that Jack was so insightful, "We must find all other Legends of Power to ensure that he has not found another." He said as he started rambling off who needs to find what.

But Jack wasn't listening, he instead was leaning in towards Tooth, "What's the Witch's Tree?" He asked and Tooth turned to look at him.

"It's a legend of the greatest source of magical power in the world, said to be the life force of an entire vast forest and even stretches across the whole world. It's magic is even said to have the power to turn mortals into the trees that fill the forrest it resides in, but as Manny said, it is just a legend." She mumbled the last part, clearly not certain that it was.

Jack looked at the table before turning back to her, "I'm going to find it." Tooth looked at him ready to protest but Jack continued, "If it isn't a legend I have to make sure Pitch hasn't found it." He reasoned and Tooth nodded. Jack turned back to listen to Manny finish shooting off orders before he turned to Jack.

"Young Frost, I need you to remain vigilant, if you see anything suspicious while we are looking take immediate action." Jack nodded and as Manny turned and nodded to the others soon enough everyone went on their separate ways.

Jack flew out the window and headed to Burgess, wanting to get a head start looking for the tree, and he knew just who to ask for help. He flew to the house and tapped on the glass of the second story window and soon enough a head of sloppy brown hair appeared and Jamie threw the window Open. "Jack, you're back." He said excitedly.

"For the moment," Jack said as he flew into the room, "I need your help," Jamie nodded, "I need information of something called the Witch's Tree." Jamie nodded again and quickly walked to the computer he had sitting on his desk. He quickly pulled up the browser and searched for the legend. Soon enough he had found a site that reported about the Witch's Tree.

"It says here that the legend of the Witch's Tree started back when the colony of Hartford Connecticut back when they first settled there. The Tree said to be the Witch's tree always seemed to be whispering to passerby's and no one could ever understand it. When the Witch trials hit the colony many were accused, and most were believed to be rightfully accused, and most died in the interrogation process and if they didn't they were hung in the town gallows." Jamie said as he scrolled through the page, "But, there was one girl that was accused that they hung on the witch's tree due to the strangeness of her case. It says that during her investigation when she was denied food and water and sleep it didn't seem to affect her, and during her court trial she started laughing in the middle of it. The town reasoned that they should hang her at the tree in a means of having her evil trapped in the tree. When they put the noose around her she started laughing again, and some even reported that they heard the tree whisper "Never shall you be free of any wrongfully accused that die on these branches." And it's said that the spirit of the girl now roams around the forest as a protector of those who would suffer the same fate her." Jamie said in wonder.

"Where did you say it was located?" Jack asked curious as to why Tooth hadn't mention anything about the spirit.

"Hartford, Connecticut." Jamie said as he scrolled back to the top.

"Thanks." Jack said as he shot out the window and made his way towards the town.

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Sarah didn't know what else to do, her attackers were closing in on her, so she made a mad dash for the forest, hoping for the first time in her life that the stories were true. As her breathing picked up and the branches tore at her clothes and skin she heard shouts from behind her. "You don't think that you'll be safe in here do you?" a deep voice taunted.

"Come on Sarah, we're just trying to have a little fun." Another one laughed. Sarah tried to ignore them though as she pushed her way further into the forest, running as fast as she could possibly carry herself, ignoring the branches that grabbed at her and the ground the loudly crunched underneath her feet clearly giving away her position.

She turned to see if she could see either of them and her foot caught on a root that was sticking out of the ground. A scream left her throat as she fell hard to the ground, hearing the voices of the two chasing her quietly talk before she heard footsteps coming towards her from both directions. She scooted back on the ground as tears streamed down her face before she suddenly found herself leaning against a broad tree, she closed her eyes as she waited for them to arrive. Suddenly the air around her shifted and she heard twigs cracking to her right. Her eyes shot open and she looked to her side expecting to see one of the men chasing her, but instead she found herself staring into the face of a young girl with skin so pale she looked dead. Her bright green eyes eyes bore into Sarah's as she knelt down next to her and examined her ankle.

"Who-Who ware you?" Sarah asked, flinching away as the girl grabbed her ankle. The girl simply looked to her and held her finger to her lips in a silencing gesture. "What are you doing?" She asked as the girl closed her eyes and laid her hand on her ankle. Suddenly, right before Sarah's eyes, in a flash of white light her ankle healed and the blood dried. Her breathing turned shaky as she look back to the girls face, "You're the Accused?" She said in a tone that was more a statement than a question. The girl slowly nodded her head before the sound of twigs breaking behind them caused her head to shoot to the side. That's when Sarah noticed the red scar around her neck, the marks resembling rope. The girl turned back to Sarah again and raised her finger to her lips once more and Sarah deafly nodded her head, watching as the girl stood and walked behind the tree. But when Sarah looked behind the large trunk the girl was nowhere to be found.

"Come on, we just want to play." A voice suddenly said to her right, her head jerked in the direction as it continued, "Aren't you having fun?" Suddenly laughter filled the forest. "There you are." The voice said as the sounds of the footsteps grew farther away, following the laughter. Suddenly though, the woods fell silent before a voice broke out, "What the hell-" Before the scream interrupted the thought. Sarah shook as she listened to the screaming of the man slowly be silenced. She breathed unsteadily as she slowly stood and walked a couple steps in the direction of the scream. The sound of crunching behind her made her freeze.

"There you are." She turned and saw the larger of the two men standing about ten feet away from her.

"Scott, don't do this, please." She begged as she slowly back up, her crying picking up again and showing in her voice.

But for every step she took back Scoot took three in her direction, "It's just fun, Sarah." he said as a smirk broke across his face. Sarah felt her breathing pick up with every step Scott took towards her, her eyes darting around the area to see if she could find an escape. Suddenly to the twos right seemingly out of thin air the Accused walked around from behind a tree about twenty feet away, drawing Scott's attention. "Who are you?" He shouted angrily turning as the girl started walking towards him, "You the one that made Jay scream?" He asked and the girl nodded her head as she slowly walked towards him, the distance now about fifteen feet, "Yea, well, you won't get me to, pretty thing." He laughed as he turned to look at Sarah, "I'll get back to you sweetheart." he said. But when he turned back the girl was standing right in front of him. He flinched back in surprise as he stared at the girls face, his eyes trailing down to her neck and landing on the red marks scaring her skin. "What are you?" He asked in a shaky voice.

The Accused said nothing as she held out her hand and placed it on his chest. Suddenly Scott let out a blood curdling scream as he felt the pain start to sear through his chest, his skin started to break and bark seeped through the wounds. His limbs fused together starting at his feet and slowly branches broke out along his arms shredding his clothes that fell in a heap at his feet that where slowly rooting into the ground. He screamed as the blood from his wounds fell in a sappy mess at his feet. He continued to scream as his face slowly started to twist and morph into a knot in the tree. As the leaves and bark replaces his body the screaming died and the Accused stepped away from the tree that now stood proudly where Scott once was.

Sarah stared on in horror as she watched the scene in front of her play out, and the Accused walked towards her. Though she knew she should be running away in terror she was frozen to the spot as the girl stopped in front of her. She gently placed her hand on the Sarah's chest and before the girl could say anything a bright flash of light surrounded her she was suddenly no longer in the woods.

After the girl was gone the Accused walked back to the tree that was once Scott and laughed again, though this time other laughter joined her. She looked around the woods as the heads of children popped out from behind tree's with huge smiles on their faces. One walked up to her and grabbing her hand spoke, "Can we go play now?" The small girl asked sweetly, and the Accused nodded her head with a smile as she was dragged off towards the deeper parts of the forest, to near where a small pond resided. The little girl dropped her hand as she ran laughing to join the other children playing in the water. The Accused simply stood and smiled as the children laughed and played with each other. Suddenly her head shot to the right as she felt a surge of warning coming from the center of the woods.

She knew exactly what it meant as she walked around a tree and found herself standing in front of the Witch's Tree. The trunk knotted and wrapping around itself, and the branches almost otherworldly in shape, the leaves a deep green color that made it look like something from a fairytale and the vines and branches hanging around it as it rose high above the others in the forest. None of this the girl noticed, though, as her gaze fell on the slender black clothed figure standing at the base of the tree.

Her face hardened into a glare as she stepped up behind the man noting his posture stiffening at the change in the air around them. Slowly he turned and stared at her, his grey skin framing his golden eyes perfectly as they roamed up and down her figure. "Who are you?" The man asked in his english tone. The girl simply raised her hand and pointed behind the man, he turned and saw the noose hanging from one of the branches and his gaze shot back to the girl. "The accused." He said in an anxious voice as his grey skin almost seemed to pale, "But you weren't supposed to be real." He said as she glared at him. Slowly her hand raised towards his chest, but seeming to know what was coming the man suddenly fell into the shadows at their feet. She stared at the ground in confusion before looking to the tree and seeing the black sand swirling in one of the crevices. She shook her head before walking to the tree and placing her hand on the sand and closing her eyes. She pulled her hand away slowly and with it came the sand. She watched it swirl and move as if living before she threw her hand back in a disgusted manner and the sand shot behind her to fall uselessly to the ground. She looked to the trees around her and noticing they were slowly wilting her eyes grew wide and she turned back to the Witch's Tree and placed her hand upon it once more, her eyes closed and her breathing deep before a bright white light suddenly emerged where her hand sat, the light slowly spread along the branches of the tree until it was completely enveloped in a blinding light. Slowly the light faded and the girl opened her eyes and pulled her hand away before with a proud smile she turned and walked around a tree back to the waterside with the laughing children. Unaware that the whole time she was being watched.

* * *

Jack flew quickly through the sky trying to find the town he was looking for, and after a few hours he finally found it sitting alongside a vast forest with thick trees. _This must be it._ He thought as he dove down into the brush landing on the ground carefully and looking around trying to decide which direction he should start with, but he froze when a gut wrenching scream hit his ears. The scream seemed to fill the entire forest and then, just as suddenly as it had started, the forest fell deadly silent again. Jack looked around before running in the direction the sound, only to find a girl stand in front of a tree with shredded fabric at its base. Suddenly both their sights shot to the left as the soft sound of voices hit their ears, and Jack watched as the girl walked behind the tree she was standing in front of and disappear. He looked around confused before the sound of crying reached him and he shot off in the direction of the sound. He found himself on a branch high in a tree watching the scene play out in front of him, a large man closing in on a terrified looking girl. Jack's hand clenched around his staff as the man spoke and right before he was about to attack he saw both their heads look to the right, following their eyes he saw the same girl from before emerge from around another tree as if out of thin air.

The boy turned to look at the girl, "Who are you?" he shouted angrily as she slowly walked towards him. "You the one that made Jay scream?" He asked and Jack watched in confusion as the girls head moved up and down. _How could someone so harmless looking cause that scream?_ "Yea, well you won't get me to, pretty thing." He laughed as he turned back to the other girl, and Jack watched in amazement as the girl walked around a tree and was suddenly standing in front of the oblivious man. "I'll get back to you sweetheart." He said and when he turned back he jumped as he saw the girl standing in front of him. "What are you?" He asked in terror. The girl said nothing as her hand raised to the boys chest and Jack watched in horror as he screamed and his skin was slowly morphed into bark and his limbs twisted and contorted into branches before soon enough, like before, the screams fell silent and the girl stepped away from the tree that now stood where the boy once had been, the only evidence of him were his shredded clothes around the base of the tree.

The girl suddenly walked towards the terrified girl standing watching the scene frozen. Jack watched as she placed her hand on the girls chest and suddenly in a flash of light the girl disappeared. Jack stared on in shock as the remaining girl walked back to the tree and started to laugh, and then the whole forest filled with the laughter of children as heads started poking out from behind trucks. One little girl walked up to the girl and grabbed her hand, "Can we go play now?" The child asked in a sweet voice and the girl laughed and nodded her head as she allowed herself to be dragged off. Jack stared at the tree for a moment before turning to look at the retreating forms angrily, and suddenly he shot off after them.

They walked deep into the woods before stopping at a little pond surrounded by tall trees on three sides and a water fall flowing into the water on the fourth, it was beautiful area and many children laughed and played amongst the gentle currents. Jack landed in a tree near the edge of clearing and watched in amazement at the children playing in the area before his eyes fell on the girl from before, she stood on the edge of the water and watched with a smile as the children played before her expression changed and she looked to the right, Jack followed her line of sight but couldn't see what she did. Suddenly she walked behind a tree and was gone. Jack's breath hitched and he looked around for where she could have gone before he felt a small pebble hit his head. He looked down to the base of the tree he was in and saw the same little girl that had led the other here. She gestured for him to come down and so he did, landing gentle in front of her, "She went to the Witch's Tree." the girl said unprompted and Jack felt his eyes nearly pop out his head at the revelation, "It's in the center of the forest. Don't sneak up on her and whatever you do don't interrupt her." The child warned as she walked off to rejoin the others.

Jack watched as she went considering her warnings and when she was gone he quickly shot into the sky and to the center of the forest, landing haphazardly in a tree not far off from the one that stood higher than all others with is vines and leaves creating an umbrella effect from the sky. He watched with wide eyes as he saw the girl reach her arm out to none other than Pitch. "He found it." Jack whispered in horror.

He watched as Pitch suddenly fell into the shadows at his feet before the girl could touch him, she stared in confusion at the ground for a moment before looking at the tree. Shelled up to it and reached her hand to rest on the trunk of the tree and when she pulled it away Jack saw black sand follow it, she stared at it for a moment before casting her arm back and the sand fell to the ground. She then looked around to the tree's around them and then back to the Witch's Tree where she place her hand on it once more. Jack watched in amazement as a bright light started to envelop the entire tree. Soon enough the light became so blinding that Jack had to look away, and when he looked back the girl looked at the tree proudly before walking off. Jack watched as she rounded another tree and just as he had expected, she disappeared. Knowing where she would go he made his way on foot back to the small pond where the children were playing.

Soon enough he found himself standing in the brush just along the edge of the clearing, his eyes scanning for the girl and finding her sitting on the rock in the middle of the pond with a small boy curled in her arms, seeming to be sleeping. Suddenly the little girl from before was at his side, "Are you going to come play with us?" She asked, making Jack jump at her presence. "We won't bite." She laughed.

A smile broke out across Jack's face, "What are all you kids doing here?" He asked, "I mean, where are your parents?" he asked looking around the clearing for any sign of adults. he turned back to the girl and noticed her smile suddenly fell off her face.

"All of us here don't have parents anymore." She said as she looked out to the children, Jack's gaze following, "We are all dead." She whispered and Jack's eyes widened. He observed the children playing and suddenly noticed something he hadn't before, all the children wore clothes from different eras. Some wore elegant clothes that showed a period of the victorian era, while others wore mud and ash stained overalls that showed a industrial era, and some even wore shredded clothing that resembled the revolutionary war era. And like the girl said, almost all where dressed in eras long since passed. A few though, wore modern clothing. "She keeps us safe here." The girl continued pointing the girl still sitting on the rock.

"How did they all die?" Jack asked looking back to the girl.

"All of us died at the hands of an abuser," She said sadly, "most of which reside here in the forest," Jack looked at her in concern, "as the tree's that surround us." Jack looked back to the tree's, understanding dawning on him.

"Thats why she turned those guys into trees?" He asked and the girl nodded, "She was protecting that girl."

"As she does any who call upon her help in the forest." The girl responded very seriously. "Well, if you're not coming, I am going to go play." She said, her tone shifting completely from before as she ran out of the trees to join the other laughing children.

Jack looked back to the rock and found that the girl no longer was sitting on it, his eyes shot around the area trying to find her before he felt the air shift around him. He turned and found himself staring at the girl as she observed him closely. "What's your name?" He asked carefully and the girl simply tilted her head to the left. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, I'm trying to help stop the man that was at the Witch's Tree." He explained. The girl slowly backed up from him in concern, "I'm Jack Frost. I'm a Guardian. That man was Pitch Black, he wants to steal the power of the tree to eliminate the me and the other Guardians."

She simply continued to stare at him in silence, seeming to consider what he said. She then looked directly into his eyes and stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. Jack felt a weird surge of power enter his chest and watched as the same bright light that appeared when she touched the tree started to glow from where her hand laid on his chest. The light fell away as she pulled her hand away and looked to him with a smile on her face as she held her hand out to him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he accepted her offer, expecting her to simply shake his hand but instead she pulled him towards the pond. Jack followed confused, "What is your name?" He asked a little louder and the children stopped suddenly.

"She doesn't speak." A little boy said to his right.

"At least not in the sense that you and I do." Another child added.

"She speaks to us through the magic of the tree." The little girl that Jack had talked with said, "She wants us to tell you she is only known to the outside world as the Accused, the Protector of the Witch's Tree. But her real name is Assalli. She will gladly accept any help you can give, for if the tree dies as do all of us." She explained and Assalli looked at Jack with concern, "You should stay here, she is positive that the man you call Black will try again. And she would feel safer if someone who had experience with him was helping her protect the forest."

Jack looked to the girl and smiled, "I will stay for tonight to help you, but in the morning I must return to the others and tell them of the tree." Suddenly Assalli stiffened and the little girl spoke again.

"You cannot tell any of the tree." She said earnestly, "The power it holds can seduce even the most chaste of man. Please." Jack looked between all the children concerned faces and landed on Assalli's, her eyes held such concern and pleading and Jack found his head nodding even though he didn't really think he could not tell the others about this.

"I still need to see the others to tell them of Pitch's activeness." He said as a cover to what he would have to say, and the girl nodded with a relieved expression. Jack smiled at her as the children went back to playing. He watched as Assalli walked to the edge of the water and with her feet resting in the shallow tide she sat on the edge of the shore, Jack walked over and sat down next to her and turning to her he gave her a confident smile, which she returned and after a moment Jack felt as she rested her hand gently on his.

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 **Okay, so Assalli is definitely a grey character, which is always fun to write. Also I haven't** **decided if I want this to be romance between Jack and Assalli or just a friendship thing, so if you have a preference please tell me. I hope you enjoyed this really rather long chapter and until next time.**

 **The Freak is out of here! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, I do hope that you enjoyed that last very long chapter. It was my gift to you for no reason other than I'm back on my meds and I'm able to write that much in a single night. Plus, I actually did want all of that to happen in that chapter, it wasn't just a random decision, it was the same scene from multiple perspectives. I know it was slightly dark as it actually got to describing her turning people into trees, and like I said at the end of the last chapter, she is a grey character because on the one hand she is a hero to the victims that she saves but on the other to the abusers and anyone that knew them she is kind of the devil. She only does what she thinks is right and she has her means of deterring what is right, which will get explained in upcoming chapters. Also, I still need your opinions on if you want this to be romance or** **friendship as I can't decide and am on the fence. So if you could just give me your opinions on that it would be very helpful. Well, thats enough of a delay so onto the story!**

 **I don't own RotG**

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Jack watched as evening fell over the tops of the trees and fell into a peaceful state that was only interrupted when Assalli suddenly stood and began to walk off without a word, almost like she was in a trance. The children all stopped their playing and began to follow her with hushed whispers of excitement. Jack stayed where he was just staring the the retreating forms until the same little girl that had talked with him walked up and held her hand out to him, "Come on." She said with a smile. Jack sighed and stood following the girl as she grabbed his hand and tugged him into the woods after everyone else.

After a few twists and turns through the thick forest Jack once again found himself standing in front of the Witch's Tree, only this time he was surrounded by the other inhabitants of the forest. He watched as Assalli walked to the tree and placed her hand on it only this time no blinding light erupted. Instead the trees branches seems to shift and grow longer as the leafy umbrella opened wider to reveal an almost stair like effect created by the branches that led high to the top of the tree, every five feet or so the branches broke off into an almost floor like pattern that as Jack watched began to be covered by thick vines whose leaves grew to immense numbers to create a soft covering. Slowly Assalli pulled her hand away and as she did the children began running past her with laughter as they raced to claim a vine covered branch. Jack slowly walked up with the child still clutching his hand with a look of amazement on his face.

Assalli looked down to the girl and the girl giggled, causing Jack to look down at her, "What?" He asked confused.

The girl looked up him, "She said that men were always way to easily amazed." The girl responded and Jack looked back to Assalli with a lopsided grim as she looked to the treetop with an innocent expression, before glancing at him with a smile. She shook her head at him as she herself climbed the tree and took her place in one of the highest branches where she sat against the trunk of the tree and allowed on of her legs to fall to the side and swing back and forth in the air as she brought the other closer to her chest.

Jack looked back to the little girl, "What is your name?" he asked.

"Katey." she replied with a smile.

"Can I ask you something, Katey?" The girl nodded and he continued, "Why was she so quick to trust me and yet so quick to not to with those guys in the forest?" He asked and Katey sighed.

"You don't get it, do you?" At Jack's confused expression she turned to the tree and gently touched the trunk, "This tree is very magical, and because of that it has granted her the power to read others hearts. That is why she always places her hand on peoples chests before she turns them. She is reading their hearts, not everyone has a heart as black as others, and she can tell that. She knows when someone is just making a stupid mistake and in those instances she doesn't turn them, she simply scares them out of the action." Katey explained and Jack nodded in understanding, "She read your heart and knew that you had no bad intentions with discovering his place, so she spared you." She said, "She likes you. So do I." She concluded before climbing the tree herself with a laugh at Jack's smile, he watched as she settled on a branch about ten feet in the air and snuggled into the vines as the leaves grew around her creating a blanket.

Jack watched with a smile on his face as the children all slowly drifted off to sleep before turning and preparing to sit at the base of the tree before a rock hit his head. He ignored it at first but then another hit him, he glared up at the spot where Katey was before turning back and sitting down. He reseted his head against the trunk and let his eyes drift close as his breathing started to even out. He felt a tapping at his shoulder and his left eye opened to look in the direction, but he saw nothing so he closed his eye again. Then there was another tap at his other shoulder, causing both his eyes to fly open and his head to shoot to the side as he looked around the trunk, only to feel a jab at his back. He whirled around to try and find the culprit but there was no one there.

By now the quiet restrained laughter of the kids in the tree reached his ears and he looked up into the branches at the needy eyes staring at him with amusement. He laughed and shook his head before he heard the laughter heighten and he turned to see what they were laughing at, but yet again he saw nothing. Suddenly though he felt his legs being knocked out from under him and when he opened his eyes from the ground he say a root looming above him, seeming to almost shake with laughter. Thats when another caught hit his ears, on that he had heard only once before that day. He looked up the the top of the tree and saw none other than Assalli with her hand on the tree and laughter spilling from her throat as the other children erupted in laughter with her.

Jack felt himself quietly laughing as his head shook and he carefully pulled himself up from the ground, a mischievous smile taking over his face as an idea popped into his head. As he stood he slowly stretch his arm into the air, the one holding his staff and shot a ball of snow directly to where Assalli was laughing in blissful unawareness. Jack smiled as the children all turned to look at the ball of snow with shock and they all erupted into laughter when it made contact and knocked the poor girl out of the to the ground with laughter as Assalli stood from the snow and looked at him with a smirk. His laughter died as she raised her hand pointing to the tree and flicked her wrist towards him. He looked up just in time to see a branch swing down and in the next moment he had a face full of leaves. As the branch lifted and left him sputtering and spitting leaves out of his mouth he looked up to see Assalli bent over with laughter and half the children almost falling out of tree as they clutched their sides.

Jack stood and smiled at her as she glanced at him, "You are a worthy opponent." He said with a bow and one of the children shouted from the branches her response.

"You aren't!" and when Jack looked back to the girl she had her face buried in her hands as she shook with her laughter. "But you are a creative one!" The boy once again shouted from the tree, "She looks forward to dueling you again, but for now it is time to sleep." He said as the laughter of the children slowly died and Assalli looked to Jack with a soft expression and nudged her head to the tree. "Join us, its more comfortable." The boy concluded and Jack nodded his head and followed Assalli to the higher branches and took the one across from her.

His eyes closed as eh listened to the quiet breathing of the children sleeping below him, but they opened slowly when he heard rustling coming to his side. He turned to look at the branch next to him and found that Assalli was no longer sitting on it, his eyes trailed up at the notice of leaves falling from above him. Cautiously he followed after, trying his best to not make any noise. When he reached the thinest of the branches at the top he glances up to see the girl Standing on a branch that would not be able to hold her weigh there she not a spirit, her hand wrapped around the thin branch it stuck out of as she looked toward the edge of the forrest.

Jack watch silently as the wind blew her brown hair softly across her form and watched as the winds blew the unsteady branches she perched on ever so slightly, but none of it seemed to bother her. She just stood in the wind staring at the horizon with he back turned to the boy, seeming unaware of his presence. He heard her breath deeply and as she exhaled a sudden rush of wind first from the tree and Jack watched as all around them the trees seemed to close up, as if they themselves were sleeping. He watched as far below where they were the flowers all closed and the forest fell silent, all the animals having gone to sleep. But suddenly the forest grew with a new sound, that of the night life, the crickets started chirping and the forest glowed with the soft light of a thousand fireflies. It honestly took his breath away as he looked around the forest in all its beauty before he looked back to the girl to find her staring right at him with her head tilted to right and curious unreadable expression on her face.

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 **Okay, so there is the new chapter, I hope you like it. And I made it a little light hearted because the last chapter was very dark and needed a happier follow up. I will not do that overtime though, the further this story gets the darker it gets and the less lighthearted chapters it will have. Please tell me what you thought and until next time.**

 **The Freak is out of here! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, I am back with more of the story, and this time I don't have all that much to say, so on with the story. Although warning, this chapter is probably going to be a bit dark, I haven't decided yet so we'll see.**

 **I don't own RotG**

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Jack held Assalli's gaze for a moment before he cleared his throat and looked around them again, "Is this what you do?" He asked turning back to her with a smile. She nodded, the curious expression still on her face. "What exactly is it?" He continued floating over to her on the wind that blew her hair around her face. A small smile graced her face and she grabbed Jack's hand, raising it to the branch of the tree she was hanging off of and when his hand touched the tree he felt a surge of power run through his body, like when she had placed her hand on his chest. The branch itself seemed to glow a faint white color like everything else that had happened around her, and as the wind blew around the two Jack heard a faint whisper as it flowed through the leaves.

 _"Listen not with your ears but rather your heart."_ It whispered and Jack strained to hear it as it flitted past them. He turned to Assalli with a confused look and she shook her head with a sigh before she placed her hand on his chest once more, but this time there was no rush of power nor a flash of light. She simply placed her hand over his heart and looked up into his eyes. Like before Jack held her gaze, only this time he found that he was unable to tear his eyes away from it as his hand fell off the tree and the whispering seemed to die as the wind blew around them still. Jack stared into the bright green eyes in front of him, observing every detail of them trying to find the answers he was looking for in them.

And likewise, Assalli stared into Jacks blue eyes curiously, searching for something else that Jack couldn't figure out. The stare off was only broken when a shift in the wind occurred and Assalli's attention shot to the right, she seemed to see something that Jack didn't. Her hand fell from his chest as she turned and and stepped off the branch she stood on.

"Wait!" Jack called as he looked down, expecting to see her falling through the leaves, but she wasn't there. He looked around confused and tried to see if he could find where she went or if this was another prank she was playing on him. He graoned when he realized she must have disappeared only to pop out from another tree. He ran his fingers through his hair as he turned in circles, trying to find some sign of where she went when his eyes were drawn to a string of leaves blowing in the wind towards the edge of the woods. A feeling surged through jack as the leaves danced away and he quickly flew after them, landing near the edge of the forest to see a boy standing in a clearing with Assalli in front of him and a look of terror on his face. Jack felk to the grouns and felt a drop in the pit of his stomach at what was about to happen.

"Now you're gonna get it Tylor!" a girl Jack hadnt even noticed until now shouted at the boy with a smirk on her face.

Assalli's head turned slightly to regard the girl with an unreadable look before she turned back to to boy and gently placed her hand on his chest and Jack watched as the light emerged from the two. She tilted her head at the boy as the light died down and pursed her lips before turning to the girl. she walked up to the girl slowly and raised her hand to do the same to the girl but the girl backed up nervously.

"What are you doing? Get rid of him already." She demanded as she was backed up into a tree and the hand was placed on her chest again. Only this time the light barely glowed in the night and Assalli looked up at the girl with a venomous look. Her hand pushed more into the girls chest and the girl let out a scream as her body contorted and tears began to break out along her skin, causing sappy blood to pour from the wounds. The girl did not fully transform though, as the tears across her skin began to deepen more skin emerged from the wounds and contorted into deformed patches and bubbles along her girl fell to the ground still screaming in pain..

As Assalli finally pulled her hand away from the girl a voice whispered in the wind once more, _"Look upon the ugliness of your heart and fear the consequences of your hatred."_ The girl with her tear streaked face looked up in horror at the spirit standing over her.

"What did you do?" she asked as she looked at her deformed body.

Assalli simply walked away from the cry girl and to the boy once more. He finched back as she approached him but froze once he saw the look in her eyes. The girl slowly lifted her hand to the boy's chest, his breathing pickup when she touched him but he made no moves to run away. Her hand glowed faintly as the boy slowly faded away. She turned back to the girl and walked up to her shacking form, she placed her hand on her back and slowly the girl faded away as well.

Jack slowly walked out to stand next to Assalli, "That boy wasn't doing anything wrong was he?" he ssked and Assalli shook her head, not looking up from the ground. "Is that girl going to be like that forever?" he asked and once again Assalli shook her head and Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Did you just send them back home?" he asked and Assalli tuturned and walked away. "Hey." Jack said as he spun and ran to catch up to the girl. They walked in silence as Jack caught up with her and he would shoot her glances to see her staring at the ground with an empty expression.

The two walked back to the tree in an uncomfortable silence as Assalli seemed to be ignoring Jacks presence. Jack walked stiffly with his staff slung over his left shoulder and his right hand in his pocket, while Assalli had her hands clasped tightly behind her back. The girl finally began casting curious glances towards the spirit beside her when she thought Jack was not paying attention. Jack however was, and he smirked when she once again glanced at him with a confused expression, this time though he shot his eyes to meet hers. She quickly looked down and sped up slightly as Jack chuckled and looked ahead again and saw the tree not far ahead of them. Soon enough, they arrived at its base and Assalli quickly climbed up to the top branches she claimed as her own, not even turning to see if Jack was behind her. Jack let out a sigh of confusion before climbing after her and settling on the branch across from hers once more. He laid back as he listened to the calm of the sleeping woods.

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Pitch paced back and forth as he stared at the sand formation of the Witch's Tree. Hatred burned in his eyes as his fists clenched at his sides, "She wasn't supposed to be real." he seethed, "Out of all legends to be real, the accussed wasnt meant to be one!" he shouted in anger, his voice echoing throughout the empty cave.

He held his hand up and the sand swirled around it creating a sand version of the accused, "No matter, when I finally get the power of the tree she will not be an issue anymore." He said darkly as he closed his fist and watched the sand crush beneath his fingers.

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Jack awoke the next day to find the tree empty of any children. He groaned and jumped down fron the branch he was on and looked around nervously before the sound of distant laughter caught his ears and he walked off towards the source of the sound. Soon enough he found himself standing in the clearing near the waters edge. He looked out on the children happily playing and laughing, a smile spread on his face as he scanned the area for Assalli.

"Jack!" a voice shouted for him and he turned to see Katey running towards him with a smile on her face. Jack's own expression brightened as the little girl ran to give him a hug jumping into his arms. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around the little girl, "We thought you had died." She joked.

Jack laughed as he set her down on the ground again, "It's been proven it takes much more than sleeping in a tree to kill me." he responded and Katey laughed again. "Where is Assalli?" Jack asked looking around and noticing that he couldn't see her.

"She wasn't in the tree when we woke up, no one has seen her all morning." She said and looked up at Jack's concerned expression, "Oh, don't worry, this is happens with her a lot." She comforted as she grabbed Jack's hand and started dragging him towards the others, "Unlike us, she has more to her purpose here than just fun." She said as she let Jack's hand drop and ran to join the other children in the water.

Jack smiled after her with his head tilted, "Well, I really should get going, I just wanted to tell her bye." He said as he began to turn away.

"Wait!" Katey shouted causing Jack to turn back to her with concern. "Please don't go." She said shyly.

"I need to get back to my friends though." He said calmingly as he knelt down to eye level with the little girl, "I was supposed to go back yesterday."

"Please don't go." A little boy pouted from the waters edge, "We feel safer with you here." He explained.

Jack sighed as he looked around at the pleading eyes of the children surrounding him, "Assalli is more than capable of keeping you all safe."

"She doesn't know the person who is attacking us like you do." The little boy said again.

"If you leave us, we might not be able to fight back." Katey concluded.

Jack sighed and looked at the kids and allowing his eyes to drift from one to another, "Alright, I suppose I can stay one more day." He said and the kids began to shout in excitement and Katey ran up to hug him again. He joined the laughter of the others as movement to his left caught his eye and he turned to see Assalli standing on the edge of the clearing confused at the celebration happening before her.

"He's staying." One of the children shouted and Assalli looked back and forth between Jack and Katey before her face paled slightly at the statement. Eventually she cast her eyes to the ground and walked quickly past Jack.

"What is wrong?" Jack asked, grabbing her arm and stopping her movement, "Why have you been acting weird since last night?" He asked. Assalli turned to look at him and Katey cleared her throat.

"Spirits don't typically come here." The little girl started and Jack turned to look at her his hand still clasped tightly around Assalli's wrist, "You're probably the first spirit of the outside world to pay this forest any mind having no intention of stealing the magic it holds." she explained and Jack turned to look at Assalli, "She isn't that used to dealing with spirits older than ten." The girl concluded before turning and running away.

Jack cleared his throat as he finally met the girls eyes, "Sorry." He said allowing her arm to fall from his hand, "I just thought I did something wrong." He shyly cast his eyes to the ground. Assalli smiled softly leaned in to give him a kiss on his cheek before pulling away with a blush and laughing before running off to joy with the children as they splashed and played among the water.

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 **Oaky, so it was a little dark at the beginning but not too bad, in later chapters though it is going to turn pitch black (lol). I do** **hope you liked it and hope you will review. I am so sorry for how late this is, I was just struggling with getting it out. But now I have a plan for the story so it should progress faster now. Thanks for reading and please leave a review. Until next time.**

 **The Freak is out of here! :)**


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